Hi everybody, hope all is well. I've been a member of this forum for like 2 1/2 yrs, and im kind of on and off to check in in here.

I have issue with my steering wheel, it is offcenter, means its in a little bit in "turned right" positioned. I went to the dealer and talked about this but the dealer said that it needs to be aligned and will charge me of $130.00. I have 2009 TSX and mileage is around 16000 miles. Questions: 1. How true is this that i need a wheel alignment to fix the "offcenter" of the steering wheel of mine. 2. if its needed to be, is $130.00 is justifiable amount to fix it. 3. Is there any options to fix it by myself for "DIY" from any of you, guys. Any help for this issue will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

generally a offset wheel is due to your toe angles being off, if you recently had a alignment, then it's possible that the steering wheel was not centered correctly while doing the alignment. There isn't much you can do as far as DIY's unless you wanna learn to do alignments the old fashioned way with strings and rulers, but as previously stated your toe angles are more than likely out and that's why they are recommending an alignment. If you don't wanna pay 130 for it at the dealership, then I suggest going to a firestone or other shop. They will generally charge you less.

 

I agree, $130 is steep for an alignment. My dealership charges $90.

 

Alignments are generally needed once a year or so. You can't do it yourself.

You can call around to a couple of dealers and get quotes. Alignments for our cars are generally in the $100 range. If you have an indy you trust then you can call them too because there isn't anything different or special on an alignment on our cars but I'm not sure if I'd trust some high school dropout at the local iffy lube to do the alignment.

 

This statement is actually wrong, because you can do alignments yourself, although it takes much more time and a lot more precision to accomplish, and the process of doing it requires time to learn and master. In this day and age though its easiest to pay a shop to do it. Whether it be a jiffy lube dropout or a dealership tech.

There isn't much skill to doing alignments anymore. It takes about 10-15 minutes to do a tsx once its setup on the rack.

 

I agree with the once a year schedule. A good resource for a shop to do your alignment is the Tire Rack installer database (available on their web site). It lists prices, and many have a price guarantee.

 

You can also build a space shuttle in your back yard or rebuild your engine on the kitchen table but neither will come out well unless you are a rocket scientist or a car mechanic.

The average joe can't do a proper alignment using hand tools found in your garage and the local iffy lube is fine if you like cleaning greasy fingerprints off your headliner and running the risk of screwing up your tires.

 

Why would you need a yearly alignment if steering is spot on and no visible signs of camber wear on your tires? $130 is about right for your standard dealership alignment. However, keep an eye on your junk mail, you may be able to find a coupon. I got an alignment done on my Mazda CX-9 for $40 at the dealership after hitting a curb in the snow. It's the same dealership that sold both Acuras and Mazdas.

 

I suppose being a mechanic for the past 8yrs has its advantage, but the previous statement said alignments can't be done by yourself. Never stated you had to be a rocket scientist nor mechanic, but not fighting here. Just saying, It can be done.

 

Right, but the average driver suficient potholes and doesn't understand tire wear. an alignment is cheap insurance against premature tire wear.

 

I'll bet you a beer that the OP can't do an alignment - especially considering that he doesn't really know what an alignment is.

I've mounted a tire using a rope and a crowbar but I wouldn't recommend that anyone try mounting their own tires.

 

No doubt he couldn't do an alignment, but there is enough resources on diy's on the net, should he chose to learn. He could, likely not to happen.

To the OP, shop around on your alignment prices. If you live in a big city, dealerships tend to charge more per hour of labor. Here in Austin we are 120 an hour.

 

Hi. Hope all is well again. First, would like to thank u guys for the help, replies and suggestions, secondly, for what i learned about alignment from all of you towards our car, TSX. I really appreciated it.

Well, i definitely need an alignment but will shop around first to get a decent car shop. Like Mr. "ceb" said, its a cheap insurance against premature tire wear. Thank you all, guys.